Few sports are as deeply rooted in British culture as tennis. From its origins in the medieval ‘real tennis’ of royal courts to the 19th‑century codification of lawn tennis, the game has long been tied to England’s summer traditions, with its modern rules first formalised on manicured club lawns. The inaugural Wimbledon Championships in 1877 did more than crown a winner, it marked Britain as the home of the sport and still today, tennis remains a pastime and global spectacle.
South‑west London in particular is a heartland of the game. From the hallowed grass of Wimbledon to the courts of Fulham and Barnes, each club offers players of all levels the chance to step into one of Britain’s most storied sporting worlds.
In this guide, we uncover the most exclusive tennis clubs this part of London has to offer.
All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club (AELTC)
Located on Church Road in Wimbledon, the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club is an ultra‑exclusive private members’ club that also hosts The Wimbledon Championships.
Founded in 1868, with the first Championships held in 1877, the club currently boasts eighteen grass courts, plus eight American clay courts and two acrylic courts and is undergoing a £200 million expansion that will triple its size. The project includes 38 additional grass surfaces and an 8,000‑seat show court, with seven championship‑standard courts available for community use.
Membership is famously exclusive, with roughly 500 members and waiting lists exceeding a thousand. The club also extends around a hundred carefully selected temporary memberships, along with a roster of honorary members, among them Tim Henman and Maria Sharapova.
The Queen’s Club, West Kensington
Situated on Palliser Road, The Queen’s Club has been an icon of British sport since its founding in 1886. Renowned as one of the world’s most prestigious multi‑sport complexes, it is home to the annual Queen’s Club ATP tournament, which showcases 28 outdoor grass courts, with 10 others indoors.
The club also houses the national headquarters of real tennis, regularly hosting the British Open and has recently expanded into padel. Held in the week preceding Wimbledon’s grass‑court Championships, the Queen’s Club tournament has long attracted the world’s finest players, from Andy Murray to Novak Djokovic. New members must secure sponsorship and purchase a redeemable share of roughly £15,000 alongside annual fees, with waiting lists typically lasting from 9 months up to 15 years, depending on category.
The Hurlingham Club
The Hurlingham Club is a private members’ club founded in 1869, set within 42 acres of landscaped gardens along the River Thames. Originally a pigeon shooting venue, it became famous as the birthplace of modern polo and hosted the sport in the 1908 Olympics.
Today, the club offers extensive sports facilities, including grass tennis courts, croquet lawns, squash courts, bowls, cricket, indoor and outdoor swimming pools, alongside a seasonal 9‑hole par‑3 golf course. Membership is exclusive and by nomination only, with a waiting list that can exceed 10 years and priority given to the family of current members.
Roehampton Club
Sitting near Richmond Park, Roehampton Club spans a hundred acres of verdant parkland and has evolved from its early 1900s origins as a polo club into one of London’s most versatile private sporting complexes. Its facilities include around 10 grass courts among a total of 30 tennis courts across all‑weather and clay surfaces, as well as two padel courts. Beyond tennis, members can enjoy golf, squash, croquet, swimming pools and spa amenities and enjoy a more relaxed form of exclusivity compared to Queen’s or Wimbledon.
Holland Park Lawn Tennis Club
Located on Addison Road, Holland Park Lawn Tennis Club is an institution founded in 1875 and offers eight public tarmac courts with seasonal membership options.
The clubhouse features a lounge, bar and terrace, making it a natural gathering place for members after matches. However, as of 2025, the club has paused new applications, with the waiting list already stretching to five years.
Teqnic Tennis, Barnes
Found at Barn Elms Sports Centre on Queen Elizabeth Walk in Barnes, Teqnic Tennis brings a vibrant and inclusive approach to tennis coaching. Founded in 2020 by Ed Francis and Tyler Bodmann, the academy has quickly grown into a lively tennis community welcoming both juniors and adults with LTA-registered coaches. Teqnic operates out of a nine‑court hub at Barn Elms, with all‑year hard courts that are consistently well-maintained and readily available. For junior players, the emphasis is on imaginative drills, games and team competitions with a program that includes monthly membership group classes that prepare players for match play and tournaments.
Ealing Lawn Tennis Club
Ealing Lawn Tennis Club features six pristine grass courts open from May through September, alongside additional clay, indoor, hard and mini courts available year‑round. Guests are welcome to play on a limited basis throughout the season as the club is highly sought after, currently operating a waitlist of about three years.
Richmond Lawn Tennis Club
Located beside Kew Gardens, Richmond LTC is friendly and volunteer-led with approximately six grass, four hard and three floodlit all-weather courts. Guests are permitted to play a limited number of times each year and offer multiple membership categories, including options for juniors and seniors, typically maintaining a one‑year waitlist for new applicants.
Putney Lawn Tennis Club
Putney LTC is a long‑established community club, home to five synthetic grass and five artificial clay courts. It provides a mix of social and competitive tennis as well as an active junior programme. Membership is available across several categories and full membership selection is based on an annual assessment, while other membership types are open subject to availability.
Just as tennis has long been woven into Britain’s summer traditions, South‑west London remains its stage, where clubs, tournaments and local courts keep the spirit of the game thriving.
